In 2015 (the most recent year with statistics available), there were 5647 children adopted to parents in the USA. About half of those were from China. See link HERE. I am fortunate to see many families with newly adopted children. In addition, I often have the chance to assess x-rays and clinical information for families before […]
Year: 2017
Syndactyly Revision Surgery
I enjoy performing surgery to correct syndactyly because it is a reliable procedure with high patient, family, and physician satisfaction. But, as with any surgery, there are complications and adverse events that can happen in the short term or at longer follow- up. The risk of complications related to syndactyly surgery is very low. It includes […]
First Pitch World Series
Hailey Dawson has been in the news over the last few months as she seeks to throw the first pitch in all the Major League Ballparks. Well, she took a big step tonight on the biggest stage- the World Series! World Series Story. What a great story which helps to raise awareness of birth differences of […]
The 5 Finger Hand
The 5 Finger Hand is a rare congenital hand difference which I have written about in this blog once before, HERE.. It is, as it sounds, the presence of 5 fingers, all in the same plane, instead of 4 fingers and a shorter (2 phalanx), palmarly placed thumb. The challenges of the 5 Finger Hand […]
Hand Camp 2017
One of the highlights of my year is Hand Camp. Each year (see previous posts), I have shared a brief post but for those of you without a Hand Camp experience, I will briefly describe. This is a camp run by the Shriners Hospital team including the occupational therapists, recreational therapists, social workers and nurses. […]
Cleidocranial Dysplasia
Cleidocranial dysplasia is a rare birth condition most notable for the lack of collarbones (or small collarbones- clavicles). While this is recognizable, other findings include abnormalities of the teeth as well as delaying closing of the fontanelles (skull bone deficits). This is an autosomal dominant condition related to the RUNX2 gene but importantly, it is […]
Hypoplastic Thumb Reconstruction
Patients with a small thumb- a hypoplastic thumb- often have functional limitations due to limited muscle development and a lack of joint stability. Therapy is always the first line of treatment but is often unsuccessful with this anomaly. We therefore often proceed with surgical reconstruction. I have previously blogged about the surgical choices and recently […]
Thumb Reconstruction in Action
My favorite day of the month is our ‘big’ clinic at the Shriners where my partner and I see patients all day (no surgery). It is such a pleasure to see new and followup patients with so many different rare conditions. I learn at each of these clinics because patients show me (and sometimes tell […]
Hand Anomalies and Adoption
Adopted Kids and Polydactyly In 2015 (the most recent year with statistics available), there were 5647 children adopted to parents in the USA. About half of those were from China. https://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/about-us/statistics.html I am fortunate to see many families with newly adopted children. It is one of the most enjoyable parts of my practice. Sometimes I […]
Media Links
I would like to share a few media links which I have enjoyed. The first is from the New York Times- LINK– on the 3D printed prosthetic. Interesting read and highlights some of the information we have also shared: My Blog’s 3D printed information. Additionally, the St Louis Post Dispatch recently shared a great story about […]
Phocomelia
Phocomelia is defined as ‘seal limb’- a birth anomaly (i.e., congenital malformation) in which the hands are essentially attached to the chest. There may be a short bone connecting the hands to the chest, either a forearm bone or arm bone, but not both. Phocomelia is incredibly rare and really became a recognized abnormality in […]
Anesthesia- Do we know the risk in a child?
Recently, there has been much discussion regarding anesthesia in the child. The concern is appropriately about safety- do we know when it is ‘safe’ to allow anesthesia for children. There have been a large number of studies on this topic and recently the FDA voiced concerns. I will try to summarize the issues and our […]
Pediatric Hand Study Group 2017
I recently traveled to Philadelphia for the annual meeting of the Pediatric Hand Study Group (PHSG). This group is composed of hand surgeon and therapists who are committed to caring for kids born with hand differences. The meeting was excellent as usual and the hosts included the surgeons from Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and the […]
The Hand in Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia
Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia (MED) is an uncommon anomaly of the bone and cartilage at the ends of the bones (epiphyses) in the growing child. There are 6 primary types of Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia. All are transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion except type 4. EDM1 is caused by a heterozygous mutation in the gene encoding […]
The Crooked Thumb
The process of limb development is truly amazing and unbelievably complex. Developmental biologists and scientists help to explain these processes and our knowledge grows day by day. As I explain to parents, what is truly remarkable is not that there is a child born with a limb difference but rather that it happen so […]
The Arthrogryposis Thumb
I have previously written many times about arthrogryposis and several years ago focused on the thumb– see Link. As with every part of arthrogryposis, each child is affected differently. But the thumb is affected, the position of the thumb can really make a big difference. Consider these points: 1) The thumb normally provides about 40% of […]